You can learn a lot about a man by the church they attend. Especially when they have attended that church for 20+ years. Obama's pastor and now hired spiritual advisor to his campaign said the following during his sermons.


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It was not the first time Wright appeared to endorse Obama, who was baptized at Trinity United, has been an active member of the church for two decades and receives spiritual mentorship from Wright.

The title of Obama's second book, "The Audacity of Hope," was taken from a sermon by Wright.

During a Christmas sermon, Wright tried to compare Obama's upbringing to Jesus at the hands of the Romans.

"Barack knows what it means living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people," Wright said. "Hillary would never know that.

"Hillary ain't never been called a n****r. Hillary has never had a people defined as a non-person."

In his Jan. 13 sermon, Wright said:

"Hillary is married to Bill, and Bill has been good to us. No he ain't! Bill did us, just like he did Monica Lewinsky. He was riding dirty."
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I'd urge you to see the video at this site, this is the man many libs want in the Whitehouse.

http://wizbangblog.com/content/2008/03/13/obamas-preacher-in-his-own-words.php

If any republican had a "spiritual advisor" under the employ of their campaign, that said similiar things, they would be through. Why the double standard?
I think it's safe to say that if this man gets the nomination, he will not win the general election. While McCain will not use this against him, others will just like the swiftboat vets did against Kerry. The dems always find a way to shoot themselves in the foot. Hillary has a 51% unfavorable rating and Obama has been following a pastor who is a racist for 20+ years, who blames America for 9/11.
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"The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, God d**n America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people," he said in a 2003 sermon. "God d**n America for treating our citizens as less than human. God d**n America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."

In addition to damning America, he told his congregation on the Sunday after Sept. 11, 2001 that the United States had brought on al Qaeda's attacks because of its own terrorism.

"We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye," Rev. Wright said in a sermon on Sept. 16, 2001.

"We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost," he told his congregation

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"We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost," he told his congregation

Couldn't have been said better.

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Originally posted by LuckyBreak:

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"We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost," he told his congregation

We expect this sentiment from you Lucky, as we all know that you are anti-American and antisemetic.
Couldn't have been said better.

First off, this guy should not be a speaking politics in church and saying god D*@m.

And being black in America doesn't mean you have to blame everyone and not support your country.

It is just ridiculous. He is not radical. He is crazy and stupid.

Maybe I'm confused...the "three strike" felony law was designed to give additional chances to criminals who commit felonies yes?

Is this nut really saying God D. America for not giving more chances than this?

Listen, if you have committed 3 felonies...your A$$ needs to be off our streets, you don't deserve the right to live among the rest of us who abide by the law.

Oh and by the way, it's the same law of America that this guy wishes to damn that gives him the freedom and right to speak out against it. If he did half of this in any number of countries he would be harshly, harshly punished--if not killed.

Also, from what I've seen this was a mild representation of Obama's church. If a white candidate belonged to a church that said "1" of these racial comments he would be a racist, biggot...take for instance Huckabee--the guy was a merely an open Christian and he was attacked all over the place (debates, media, name it)...but Obama has support of this doctrine in his closet and how many questions in debates has he had to answer about it????

Enough said. God BLESS America.

I don't have a dog in this hunt but sometimes the obvious is conveniently forgotten. How about the man in McCain's corner, Rev Hagee from Texas. Isn't he about the same?

It's interesting that these revelation about Pastor Wright are coming back to the surface now. They were brought out before - in January of '07 - but nothing really came of them.

Personally, I think this could be an enormous problem for Obama, assuming this controversy stays in circulation long enough to be a problem come November. I think it probably comes too late to win Clinton the nomination.

I also think it's totally valid to scrutinize this. If you go to a church for 20 years and consider such a man as Wright to be a close friend and mentor, certainly you must give tacit approval to the things he says.

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If you go to a church for 20 years and consider such a man as Wright to be a close friend and mentor, certainly you must give tacit approval to the things he says.

When the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah Wright preaches his controversial views, it's been as an invited guest clergyman in a forum that's offered him the opportunity to express these personal, highly-political beliefs. It's my understanding that he doesn't preach politics from the pulpit of Trinity United Church of Christ, but limits his message to love, brotherhood, justice and doing the work of Jesus Christ among the impoverished and disadvantaged. He's retiring as Trinity's pastor next month.

Barack Obama came to Trinity 20 years ago, and became one of 8,500 members of the church, the largest congregation in the mostly-white United Church of Christ. In 1988, as you all know, Dr. Wright preached a sermon he called "The Audacity of Hope", a totally non-political message about personal redemption and the power of faith to inspire underdogs. It inspired Obama to be baptized later that year, just before leaving for Harvard Law.

Sen. Obama has in the past, will again and should disassociate himself from Dr. Wright's politics and controversial views on U.S. foreign policy. It's appropriate for us to ask him about it and expect him to respond and explain. But he can't and shouldn't separate himself from twenty years of the man's spiritual ministry which informs so much of his worldview as it concerns love, justice and equality. You don't throw away family.

My own father died at age 93, a vehement, unrepentant, unapologetic racist. He grew up poor on a small North Carolina farm in the early 20th century, and his racial attitudes never left those fields. When I was a young adult, we fought about it, screamed at each other and at one time were all but estranged over it. But in the end, what I took from him were other values and traits -- honesty, love for family, dependability, loyalty and the belief that I could do whatever I wanted to do in life if I was willing to work for it. I could and did separate myself from his hateful views, but not from the man who was my father.

I found a well-written article from the NY Times from a little less than a year ago about Sen. Obama's 20-year relationship with Trinity Church and Dr. Wright.

And, on an not-totally unrelated note, if you're interested, here's the man who is replacing Dr. Wright as Trinity Church's pastor.

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That's a little too forgiving, Jack. I mean, the views of one's father are one thing, but to consciously choose as a mentor and friend someone with - oh, let's just say it - "repugnant" views deserves scrutiny.

If I were to ever run for office, I would have a lot of 'splaining to do about, say, the Edward Said lectures I attended as a youth (back before I actually did a little research on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.)

Purposely choosing to count as a close advisor someone with such views deserves condemnation. I would like to see Obama not only explicitly repudiate Wright's views, but give a speech as to why they're contrary to his own.

Again, turn this around. Say you have a republican who was closely mentored by someone affiliated with David Duke. WOuldn't you find that disgusting?

I don't know that Dr. Wright was expressing such provocative views when Obama first came to Trinity Church. I have no certain knowledge either way, but my guess would be he certainly never preached them from the pulpit there, and I think the mentorship was based on spiritual and religious grounds, not political ones. The man Obama "consciously chose" as a mentor twenty years ago was, in all likelihood, not the man who preached against the U.S. more recently.

Did you read the Times article?

Besides, Obama certainly wasn't counting on Dr. Wright to be "a close advisor" on foreign policy or politics. But if you think by his statements Dr. Wright has disqualified himself to counsel the Senator on pastoral matters -- or, for that matter, anything at all -- that's an opinion I won't try to rebut. I'm sure most will share it, maybe even me. But whether he casts him out or not, I think it's unfair and wrong to assume Sen. Obama shares the views his pastor has been preaching recently. He clearly doesn't.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think the David Duke analogy is an apt one. A person isn't likely to have formed a 20-year personal relationship with a person like Duke without subscribing to his views. It's not as though you could say, "Well, he's not advising me on race relations, and I don't agree with him on that."

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Jack White,

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I don't know that Dr. Wright was expressing such provocative views when Obama first came to Trinity Church. I have no certain knowledge either way, but my guess would be he certainly never preached them from the pulpit there, and I think the mentorship was based on spiritual and religious grounds, not political ones. The man Obama "consciously chose" as a mentor twenty years ago was, in all likelihood, not the man who preached against the U.S. more recently.

He has indeed preached those views from the pulpit of his church, one of his sermons from Christmas 2007 is referneced widely in the videos that are circulating. Obama knew what this man was advocating, all one has to do is go to the church's website.

http://www.tucc.org/about.htm

I'm sorry, Jack. I consider you a reasonable person, but I think you're just not being tough enough on Obama. Look, I don't have anything against Obama. From his explicit statements, he doesn't appear to lurk on the lefty fringes of Kucinichville. Politically, he seems to a pretty ho-hum liberal Democrat with an amazing talent for oratory.

That said, I think my David Duke analogy was apt. To assume - and that's exactly what you're doing - that a man of Wright's truculence can compartmentalize his politics so well that he would only be a "spiritual" advisor to Obama seems a little naive on your part.

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He has indeed preached those views from the pulpit of his church, one of his sermons from Christmas 2007 is referneced widely in the videos that are circulating.

I just played the Christmas sermon ... I hadn't heard it before.

It's certainly strident, provocative and much too polarizing. But there's not a mention of 9/11 or American responsibility or the failure of U.S. foreign policy, or anything other than the politics of race. In my view, Dr. Wright wasn't much different in his message or style than many other preachers in black churches across America, at least in this particular sermon. His views on race were formed during the civil rights movement of the 1960s when white people did control the economic opportunity for blacks, and in response to it. In many ways, he's still in the 60s.

At the end, his overarching theme isn't all that radical, is it?

"He taught me, Jesus did, how to love my enemies. Jesus taught me how to love the hell outta my enemies! And not be reduced to their level of hatred, bigotry, and smallmindedness.

Hillary ain’t never had her own people say she wasn’t white enough!

Jesus had his own people sidin’ with the enemy!

That’s why I love Jesus, y’all. He never let their hatred dampen his hope."


By the way, I visited Trinity's website, including the 'About' page and couldn't find anything particularly controversial for a black church. What part are you referring to?

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To assume - and that's exactly what you're doing - that a man of Wright's truculence can compartmentalize his politics so well that he would only be a "spiritual" advisor to Obama seems a little naive on your part.

I assume nothing about what Dr. Wright might want his influence on the Obama campaign to be, Scott. I do, however, assume Barak Obama can and does separate and compartmentalize, which in my view, is more to the point.

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Originally posted by Jack White:
At the end, his overarching theme isn't all that radical, is it?

Jack, you seem to have lost all logic and reason in this thread...



Speaking at the Washington, D.C., school's Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel, Wright said, "We started the AIDS virus. … We are only able to maintain our level of living by making sure that Third World people live in grinding poverty."

The pastor reportedly said in a sermon just after 9/11, "The government lied about inventing the HIV virus as a means of genocide against people of color. The government lied."

How you can say this guy does not preach radical politics in his sermons is beyond comprehension.

It also baffles me how you would even think the words of a preacher are not more influential than someone like David Duke. History is rich with countless examples of religious figures manipulating the masses to influence politics. The ever present forum topics of AQ and Jihadist are a constant reminder of this.

Remember how the press went nuts when then candidate Bush gave a speech at Bob Jones Univ?

All the condemnation and gnashing of teeth?

If any of the candidates with an R behind their name had a connection with a pastor with these kinds of radical racist hate America views they would be gone in a FLASH.

Just take his "sermons" and substitute the words "white" and "black" and you'll see what I'm talking about. This guy is preaching hate, and I for one am tired of people making a living on perpetuating the racial divides.

Its 2008 people, time move on! Color isn't what is used to be. We all have something to overcome, and if it isn't race then its something else. So work hard, do the right things, and overcome whatever hurtles life gave you.

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How you can say this guy does not preach radical politics in his sermons is beyond comprehension.

I'm not denying Wright's speeches and their ill-advised nature. I only questioned -- because I don't know one way or the other -- whether he's preached in a similar vein from the pulpit of Trinity Church, and whether this is something Sen. Obama has been exposed to and influenced by in the twenty years he's been a member of Trinity.

You're expanding my specific examples and questions into other areas I never intended, and can't speak to. The 'overarching theme' I referred to was only a reference to his Christmas 2000 sermon, not any other pronouncements anywhere else.

Unfortunately Jack, you are proving my point. You do not live by your own manta, "engage elected officials critically"...You could easily dig up all kinds of information about the Rev. Wright if you wanted to, however he is associated with one of your two "horses" in the race so you will not invest yourself too much into this.
A lot of people believe that the republican party is racist, however, it seems to be Clinton and Obama's camps who have proven themselves to associate w racists. Now, I must say, between Clinton and Obama, I highly doubt either is electable in a general election. They are currently destroying each other and believe me, if Obama gets the nod from his party, the Rev. Wright's comments will play loudly from all campaign ads against him, he will never overcome that. I don't even have to say why Clinton cannot be elected.
Jack, if you have doubts about what Obama's pastor said about 9/11 I encourage you to listen to this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWvxTUy47Fk